Funerals

The Gatecrasher / Madeleine Wickham.

Fleur is looking for the perfect hat to wear to a funeral. One can never have too many black hats for funerals, especially when you're looking to snare the right sort of man: recently widowed, woebegone, and wealthy. Fleur meets Richard, he fits all these criteria, and she instantly becomes a fixture in his life.

Essentially a romantic comedy book, The Gatecrasher covers the usual ground. The characters are mostly endearing, aside from the necessary bad guy, who is more of an adjunct to the story. Everyone has faults that help the reader relate, be it Richard's obliviousness or Fleur's scheming.

Madeleine Wickham now writes under the pen name Sophie Kinsella; with the hugely popular (although I didn't like them) Shopaholic books. It is interesting to read her earlier outings, and I find it fascinating that she now publishes under a pseudonym, and frankly I want to know why?

The Gatecrasher is easy to read, there is nothing particularly taxing for the reader. With likeable characters and a swift moving plot, even the least confident reader would not be intimidated by this book. If you want something like a Hugh Grant movie in book form you can't go past Wickham/Kinsella. Heartily endorsed.